Locally sourced news. Our best stories from April 2021 Nº09 - MAY 2021 AsSpotlight filming booms in DeKalb Dekalb: County, local communities are ready for their close-up SUMMARY 4 From the Editor: Superintendent David Dude is gone, but the School Board is 6 still accountable 6 ‘Booming:’ Film and TV production levels up in DeKalb 9 Superintendent David Dude leaving City Schools of Decatur 10 Matthew Zadok Williams’ gunshot wounds were survivable if police provided medical attention, doctor says 12 PHOTOS: Tucker hosts Easter Egg Hunt 14 Georgia executives come out against new voting law, legislators target tax break 5 16 Dear Decaturish: Letters to the Editor 17 George on Georgia: Stonecrest Stumbles 18 Flicks With Nicki: Chaos versus Monsters 20 Decaturish.com hires first full time 12 reporter 22 PHOTOS: Tucker holds first Earth Day celebration, launches youth recreational baseball league 24 Decatur will get $8.1 million in COVID-19 relief 27 DeKalb Health Director Elizabeth Ford taking job with Biden administration 29 Small Business Spotlight: Banjo Coffee 30 Atlanta Breakfast Club buys Le Petit 12 Marche, promises not to change a thing Decaturish.com PO Box 92 Scottdale, GA 30079 404-542-2562 Editor & Publisher Dan Whisenhunt [email protected] Advertising Jeff Cochran [email protected] Design Katrina Junkin 22 [email protected] 17 On the cover: Scenes from the set of the DC Comics show ‘Naomi’ being filmed for the CW network in the Decatur Square on Wednesday, 2 April 7, 2021. Photo by Dean Hesse. DECATURISH.COM | MAY 2021 (ADVERTISING) 3 DECATURISH.COM | MAY 2021 FROM THE EDITOR Superintendent David Dude is ear valued supporters, tions the board has either ignored or said it would answer but ultimately never did. gone, but the A long-running series of in- At this point, I can either accept that the vestigative stories is something answers are never coming and move on or that small local newspapers I can continue to put pressure on the School School Board is used to do all the time, if they Board until they tell the public the truth about Dwere worth a damn. Holding elected officials’ what’s happening. The former is not an option still accountable feet to the fire requires more than publishing because the latter is a professional obligation. a story or two and hoping elected officials will And that means we’re going to be talking simply do the right thing. It requires vigilance, about this more in the weeks and months tenacity and commitment. ahead, even when people are tired of it and As papers have cut back, this type of repor- have moved on, as some of our readers already ting has become rarer. It’s resource intensive have. It’s not my desire to bore or alienate you, and shrinking newsrooms don’t always have but if your local news outlet isn’t demanding the time to delve deeper when they’re strug- these answers and holding elected officials -ac gling to keep their heads above the water. But countable for their actions, who will? some stories are worth the trouble. Minding the public’s business is the busi- In April, our long-running investigation of ness I have chosen. It doesn’t always make peo- Superintendent David Dude yielded results: ple happy, especially when people are spen- Dude is out as superintendent after nearly six ding thousands of dollars to live in a privileged years. The School Board hired an independent school district like Decatur. Hell, it doesn’t firm to investigate allegations that Dude took always make me happy. But without accoun- more vacation than his contract allowed and tability and transparency, something like this then earned $100,000 by cashing out the days could happen again. he claimed he did not use. Decatur deserves better. Its students, their This is not a boast, but a statement of fac- parents and teachers, are owed an explana- ts. Without our coverage of this issue, it’s very tion. And the only people who can provide it likely that an investigation that preceded Du- are members of the School Board. NEW OUTDOOR EXHIBIT Dan Whisenhunt de’s departure wouldn’t have occurred. Here’s I’ve made my case to the board chair. I’ve Editor & Publisher another fact: without continued coverage of told her the questions will continue. The sto- this issue, the investigation will be shelved and ries won’t stop. The only thing we’re discussing the truth about what occurred will never be here is whether it’s going to be a whole sum- known. mer’s worth of stories or two or three more to April 17 - Aug. 29 That simply can’t happen. The real accoun- resolve these various plot threads. tability comes when we have a full picture of If you see another story about this situation how we got here. and it annoys you, don’t blame me. Take it up Who was monitoring when Dude was taking with the School Board. They have an obligation time off? Who was responsible for the lopsided to be transparent and candid with the public. Explore large-scale sculptures of animals, contract that made it harder and more expen- They have neglected that obligation. sive to fire Dude? Which board members were Until that changes, we have to do what we nests, flowers and more, created in the architects and enablers of this situation? have to do. It’s our job. Thank you for unders- Some board members are more responsible tanding. partnership with local artists. than others, simply because they’ve been on On an unrelated note, I want to again con- the board longer and should know all the facts. gratulate our new reporter, Zoe Seiler, our first But the board has acted in lockstep throughout full time hire. I’ve already heaped praise on Habitat was developed by Smithsonian Gardens and is made available by the this whole ordeal, keeping their disagreemen- her, but it’s worth doing so again. She’s smart, Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service. ts behind closed doors and keeping the public professional and hardworking. This job is her largely in the dark about what’s happening. passion and telling your stories is her mission. The secrecy surrounding this situation She’s going to be great and you can feel good needs to end. The School Board has had plenty knowing your money is helping us grow our of time to get its act together and get its story company and fulfill our mission of telling the straight. Five lawsuits notwithstanding, the truth without fear or favor. School Board should be able to answer basic Until next month, I remain your grateful questions like whether Dude was fired for cau- editor, publisher and community reporter. se or whether the School Board gave him any money on his way out the door. And those are just the questions du jour. A WORLD OF WOW I’ve been asking about this since January, ques- —Dano FernbankMuseum.org Atlanta’s Science and Nature Experience 4 @FernbankMuseum DECATURISH.COM | MAY 2021 NEW OUTDOOR EXHIBIT April 17 - Aug. 29 Explore large-scale sculptures of animals, nests, flowers and more, created in partnership with local artists. Habitat was developed by Smithsonian Gardens and is made available by the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service. A WORLD OF WOW FernbankMuseum.org Atlanta’s Science and Nature Experience @FernbankMuseum 5 DECATURISH.COM | MAY 2021 ‘Booming:’ Film and TV production levels up in DeKalb By Patrick Saunders, contributor Decatur, Ga. -- The dogwoods and azaleas are in bloom across DeKalb Coun- ty, but there’s a black and yellow variant on seemingly every corner these days as well. It’s the signs with the codes for film and television productions in the area, and they are ubiquitous. DeKalb is seeing triple the amount of active productions right now compared to this time last year, and the numbers even dwarf those of pre-pandemic times. If it’s not a Byrde family member tempting fate with drug lords in “Ozark” so- Scenes from the set of the DC Comics show ‘Naomi’ being filmed for the CW network in mewhere in DeKalb, it’s the kids from “Stranger Things” battling monsters here the Decatur Square on April 7. Photo by Dean Hesse. for Season 4 of the smash hit Netflix show. about the impact on residents and businesses,” she said. “We also discuss what “Television filming and production are booming in DeKalb County, and the needs will be for road closures, safety, staffing such as police and fire.” DeKalb Entertainment Commission couldn’t be more thrilled,” DEC Director “We really try to make this something that works for everyone involved,” she Shelbia Jackson told Decaturish. added. The DEC processed 11 filming applications and saw nine active productions And filming can provide long-term residual income because people like to across the county last March. This March, those numbers skyrocketed to 39 see where their favorite movie or TV show was set. Baylis cited the blue lights applications and 28 active productions. in Decatur Square, which featured prominently in HBO’s hit 2020 show “Watch- “The permitting process has been very consistent this first quarter of the men.” year, which is drastically different from this time last year,” Jackson said. “I was on the Square a couple of weeks ago and heard a woman telling her And all 13 soundstages in DeKalb are booked through the end of the year, friend all about the lights and their appearing in ‘Watchmen,’ and I have witnes- according to the DEC.